How do I know there is a God?

Pastor Hans Voortman

There is probably no question more often asked, or more profound in its implications, than the question, 'Is there a God?' If there is a God, one would expect it to significantly influence the whole sense of who we are, how we live our lives and our destiny as individuals and ultimately as a society. Either people will view themselves as the supreme beings in the universe, and will develop a value system based upon self-reliance and independence. Or alternatively, they will identify 'a God force' as the supreme being, leading them toward interdependence, and compliance to His will.

ATTITUDES TO GOD

There are a number of attitudes toward the notion of a 'God'. There are those who describe themselves as atheists. They firmly believe there is no God, thereby expressing as much an act of faith as those who believe in God! It is actually just as hard to disprove there is a God as prove it. So atheism is a religion in its own right, in that it represents a position of faith.

Particularly in our western society, there are many that would describe themselves as agnostics . Essentially they'd say that one cannot know whether or not there is a God. Neither disbelieving nor believing, they live their lives oblivious to God; somehow they trust that, if God does exist after all, following the golden rule, and being a nice person will somehow get them over the line with God! Agnosticism in many ways places its trust in 'ignorance is bliss.'

Others again, are best described as deists . They believe in an unknowable 'God', however he's defined. He exists, but can't be related to in any personal sense. They believe God has somehow wound up the universe like a great big clock that now ticks away by itself, while he's removed himself from the scene. Unfortunately even many churchgoers are probably unconscious deists. Believing in a God, they sing about God, talk about God, but have no sense of knowing God.

The final main attitude to God is that of a theist . Jews, Muslims and Christians would hold to this view. God is seen as one knowable God, who interacts with humanity and to whom we should pledge allegiance and from whom we should gain our sustenance. Each of these major religions would be described as mono-theistic (one absolute God) as opposed to pantheistic (God is everywhere and in everything, as in Buddhism), polytheistic (many gods, as in Hinduism), or even dualistic (God is two equal and opposite forces, as in the Yin and Yang of Taoism).

PROOFS OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD .

The existence of a single, absolute superior being or God is not easily provable by the classic scientific method. One can't produce God, so that He can be seen, touched, weighed, etc! Yet neither are historical facts provable in this sense. How can we ever produce Napoleon or Julius Caesar? In science, to prove something, it must be repeatable. Obviously, human experience as it relates to historical events, is unrepeatable and as such outside the scope of scientific proof.

Similarly, science demands measurability. Yet how could you ever produce a metre of justice or a kilo of love? So, when it comes to proving the existence of God, it is much more to philosophical proofs that we need to turn.

1. Anthropological Argument .

This argument highlights the fact that amongst all the peoples and tribes of the world there has always been a sense of the divine. The earliest histories and legends of peoples around the world suggest a monotheistic view of God. In other words, contrary to what had been assumed, the oldest traditions spoke of one supreme God, with a gradual development to polytheism and pantheism occurring later.

This argument suggests it's more reasonable to the sum of human experience to believe in God, than disbelieve. Furthermore it suggests that the commonality of man's experience seems to include religious worship, and this can only find its explanation in a higher Being who has constituted man as a religious being

2. Cosmological Argument .

Built around the law of 'cause and effect', this argument suggests that as the universe is an infinitely large 'effect', then it can only have been caused by an infinitely large cause, namely God. God is defined as 'that above which nothing greater can be conceived.' Many would want to ask, 'Who caused God?' If the above definition is accepted then God is the end of the chain - He is the uncaused cause. God made God.

This argument suggests that the cosmos is caused by God. If you want to believe it was all instigated by a 'Big Bang', it still begs the question: what caused the Big Bang? God is seen as ultimately the uncaused cause of everything. 'For from Him ... are all things' (Romans 11:36).

3. Teleological Argument

'Teleological' comes from the Greek word teleos , meaning 'design'. The existence of a watch speaks of a watchmaker. A car speaks of a manufacturing plant. No one would think of these things simply just happening. They speak of a designer in their very intricacy and detail.

Albert Einstein stated, 'My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals Himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, a designer of this incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God.' He thus articulated the teleological argument; design demands a designer!

To simply put the designer down as 'chance' creates some immediate problems. For a start ,how do we explain personality? Without a designer's imprint, how can Time + Chance + Matter = Life? Or how can three impersonals create a personal? The Bible declares, 'God breathed on man, and man became a living being' (Gen. 2:7). The designer imprinted Himself - man became 'created in God's image' (Gen. 1:27).

If we label God as 'chance' we also face the dilemma of the sheer problem of the probability factor involved in the time needed to create even the simplest of life forms. For instance, to create a simple protein molecule, made up of some 3000 atoms, it has been estimated that, even if the elements were shaken at the speed of the vibration of light, it would take 10 234 billions of years to get the protein molecule needed for life! And life on earth is limited to about 2 billion years! There just simply hasn't been enough time, unless of course you allow a designer to step in. You could throw printer's type up for eternity and never get it to fall in the format of today's front page, yet a typesetter could do it in hours.

The teleological argument demands a designer for the complexity of our universe and its systems. By definition this designer is seen to be God!

4. Ontological Argument

One of the more philosophical arguments for the existence of God, states that the very concept of God is latent in the mind, but is not produced by the mind. Put in another way, it states that the fact that we think about God suggests that God is real.

We can only think about real things. For instance, try to think up a new colour. All we can do is combine pre-existing primary colours. Or try to think up a new life form. All we can do is combine bits of our pre-existing reality to create something else. We can't truly create something new . Of course, this is the challenge science fiction writers continually grapple with.

So it is argued that if everything we think of is related somehow to a real concept, then the very notion of God must also be related to a real concept. In other words, the fact that we have the thought of God, demands He exists.

5. Moral Argument

Succinctly put, this argument tries to find the origins of the innate sense of right and wrong, justice and morality within man. How does one account for conscience? Different societies may have different values and standards of behaviour, yet they all operate a conscience - a deep down sense of knowing.

From where does humankind's unique ability to reason and to operate in freedom of will flow? A bird will always make its nest the same way. A dog will never dream of creating a gourmet meal. It is humanity alone that expresses choice and creativity to the level we see; of all creation it stands apart as governed by a moral law that comes from within.

The existence of conscience demands a lawgiver or judge. Right and wrong must have an absolute standard against which to measure itself. The internal arbitrator of morality within us, the conscience, demands an external arbitrator of morality who is the standard giver and judge of all.

God is seen as the highest good, the pinnacle of perfection, and the originator of all justice. That this exists in humankind can only be understood if an all-good, all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful source exists.

Conclusion

In the final analysis, all proofs to the existence of God fall short. They only point the way. The only real proof is the totally subjective, yet powerfully valid deep down personal sense of knowing. That inner conviction that grabs hold of you at a sunset, or the deep inner peace that floods you when you stand on a mountain top. Something inside cries out - an often suppressed yet inner voice nudges in a small still voice ... 'I am!' (Exodus 3:14).

The ultimate way we can know there is a God is not when we find Him, but when He finds us. This is the great revelation of Christianity, and is the question I hope to address in the next edition of this magazine. For if God exists, the next question of course is 'How can I know Him?' 'Is Jesus the only way or are there many ways to know God?' The scope of this article doesn't allow me to answer this now, but let me leave some words from Scripture with you in closing. There is a God. He is knowable and He is there for all of us to discover.

' Since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen so that men are without excuse' (Romans 1:20).

'This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us' (1 John 4:10).